Pull Tight

Stopped at a favorite restaurant in Longveiw last week. Loosening my tie and enjoying lunch is about my only break in some very busy quite long work days. On my way out I ran into a guy probably a couple of years older than me wearing bike shorts and jersey. Our conversation. Me "Where are you riding?" Him "From Georgia" Me (turning green with envy and already strongly suspecting the answer to my next question. "Where are you going?" Him "California, riding with 23 other riders" Six week bicycle trip ~ 75 miles/day - I am adding this to the list of things to do when I retire.

Watched a really good foreign film last night, would recommend to all. Swedish film, As It Is In Heaven , was nominated for an Academy Award in the best foreign language film category. It is about a famous conductor returning to his boyhood small town home. Several subplots make this a very interesting movie. I guess you would call it uplifting. Watch it, you will be glad you did. 5 Stars. If you have Netflix, I think it is available as a watch it instantly selection.

First time ever to see Vivaldi's Four Seasons performed. Very enjoyable concert at Bass Hall which also included works by Mozart and Hayden. We hadn't actually been to the symphony (except high school concerts) in over 20 years. Although we see a lot of theater, we just hadn't been going to see classical music. Enjoyed by all and we are thinking what and where is next. We will probably see something at the Meyerson within the next couple of months.

The official Texas State dinosaur was recently changed to the Paluxysaurus jonesi. Named after Paluxy, there is soon to be an exhibit at the Fort Worth Science Museum. Somehow I missed this in the news. My son told me about it after it was mentioned in the college geology class of a friend.

Went to see Midsummer Night's Dream at the new Wyly Theatre in Dallas last night. We went because this was part of a package of tickets purchased earlier in the year and didn't have high hopes for this production. Wow, we were wrong! This must be the way Shakespeare would have wanted it. So interactive you felt like you were part of the production. And, more fun than you think is possible at the theatre. If you only see one theatre event in the greater Dallas area this year, this should be the one.

We went to see the theatrical production of Grey Gardens last week at a local community theatre (Water Tower in Addison). Really good show. I didn't know much of the real story or had seen either the movie or documentary, but before the show was over I had added both to the Netflix cue. After we got home, we spent a couple of hours googling the real people and story. It is a fascinating story.

Lucinda Williams may write and sing true love travels on a gravel road, but bicycles do not. Stiff aluminium frame, light weight seat and skinny tires at 110 psi make for a rough ride. We ran out of pavement a couple of times on our ride today, the second time in a light rain shower. Still a good day however. Rode from Paluxy on a route between Chalk Mountain and Three Way. There is a pretty nice kids baseball field about 3-4 miles from the nearest paved road out here, and many miles from any towns. I guess if you build it they will come. On through Hico, we visited the Billy the Kid statue. Most Hicoians think he died in Hico as an old man instead of NM. Worth checking out for you history buffs. Then on to Iredell for lunch at the only cafe where we had a pretty good lunch of catfish, shrimp and homemade coconut pie. We rode to Walnut Springs and then to Paluxy via FM and county roads. 69 miles